How Cloud ERP Drives Efficiency at Roland Berger

It is an all-too-common problem in the business world: after years of growth, enterprises find themselves with a fragmented system landscape, making it more difficult to quickly gain information and respond to new demands. This is the challenge that was facing Roland Berger, a leading management consultancy based in Munich, Germany. How do you quickly standardize business processes and implement an IT landscape that can keep up with global expansion?

A lot can change in 50 years. Roland Berger started out as a one-man operation in 1967 and has since evolved into one of the leading consultancy firms with 50 offices in 36 countries. However, a by-product of this expansion was increased IT complexity. Over time, the company acquired a vast number of CRM and ERP solutions from multiple vendors, some of which were 20 years old. This led to inefficient processes and difficulty in obtaining accurate, timely data.

This is why Roland Berger approached itelligence to support the implementation of SAP Business ByDesign, a cloud-based ERP solution. The on-demand software enables enterprises to unify business processes across their global sites, covering everything from CRM and HR to finance and supply chain management.

The software-as-a-service delivery model is a huge advantage for Roland Berger. It has enabled even small subsidiaries to use the full range of ERP functions, without the need for on-site implementation. This is a highly flexible and cost-efficient way of standardizing all global sites and providing them with additional capabilities. Data security was also an important aspect for Daniel Gerster, CIO at Roland Berger: “We all agreed that our business-critical data is safer in SAP’s high-performance data center.”

On-Demand Capabilities at All Global Sites

Thanks to SAP Business ByDesign, Roland Berger now has an IT environment that allows them to increase efficiency and seize new opportunities for growth. Users can access the on-demand software anytime and on any device. They can retrieve or upload information and key figures whether they are in the office or on the road. For example, sales representatives can instantly add the contact details of prospective clients to the CRM module, helping to enhance lead management.

Manual, paper-based processes have been replaced by a more transparent and efficient way of working. Employees can now use their smartphones to take a picture of receipts, enabling travel expenses to be approved and processed significantly faster. Roland Berger also uses the SAP software to prepare financial statements that comply with international and local regulations—a task that used to take more time before processes were standardized.

All in all, the software-as-a-service approach was the best option for Roland Berger. Operating and maintaining on-premises IT at all offices worldwide would have been too costly and labor-intensive. With SAP Business ByDesign, maintenance and updates are carried out by SAP, freeing up time for Roland Berger’s IT staff to focus on their core tasks and add value to the organization.

For a more detailed report on how Roland Berger benefits from cloud computing, read the full success story